Half a Body
by Logan Swiger
Summary: 16 years old, Sasori has just moved to Tokyo to attend Konoha High School. There he meets his new friends, the Akatsuki we all know and love - except Zetsu, but who gives a crap about him? But Sasori's dark past is always haunting him, the shadow of his memories. Not to mention his new problem, the bully at Konoha High: Madara Uchiha. AU, Angst, etc. Rated M for language. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

New school, new life. That's what I wanted when I transferred to a new high school in Tokyo. No more kids making fun of me. No more kids throwing stuff at me every time I step into the hallway. A fresh start.

I let out a grunt as my alarm wakes me from my sleep. I slam my one good hand down on the clock, silencing it. I reach down beside my bed, picking up my arm. This stupid prosthetic arm has been so uncomfortable lately, I can't even sleep in it anymore. At least it looks real. Maybe they won't notice anything...

With my left arm secured, I get to work re-attaching my legs. These are a total pain to get on in the morning, but lying down with them on makes them creak and it's too loud for me to sleep. God, prosthetic limbs are such a pain.

When I was eleven, I was in the car with my parents when we crashed. The car rolled four times and flipped into the air twice, the police said it was unlike anything they'd ever seen. Must've been cool on the outside. For me, though, it killed both of my parents and almost killed me. Sometimes I wish it had. From that day on my grandmother, Chiyo, raised me. I loved living with her, it almost made me happy. Happy like when I was with Mom and Dad. But it didn't last. A car crash took my parents. A bullet from some mugger took my grandmother, for nothing more than the money in her purse. Life isn't fair.

I set my fake leg down on the ground, hearing the screech of old boards beneath them. People sometimes say that it must feel cool not to feel the floor when I walk on it. Five years of having no legs isn't my idea of cool.

I step into the shower, prosthetics still attached. The doctor said water wouldn't hurt them, so I even go swimming in them sometimes. I have special ones for running, though, that I carry in a bag meant for golf clubs. Raises less questions that way.

It doesn't take me long to wash what little of my body I have left, just my chest, arm, and my dark red hair, so I'm out in only a couple minutes. I'm glad my parents and grandma had some serious life insurance, otherwise I wouldn't be able to have this house. It's a miracle I'm able to live here alone. But it's one I enjoy. I've never been in a foster home, nor do I care to.

I slide my first shoe on just as the bus pulls up. I slide my second shoe over my foot and walk out to the bus. As I step onto the bus, my heart skips a beat. An important decision to make: who do I sit with?

I see a boy with long blonde hair near the front of the bus. A bit of it is held in a high pony-tail, the rest covering his left eye. He's focused on something on his lap intently, so hopefully he won't talk much. I sit down next to him, sliding my bag between my legs. Some people watch me closely like my hair is on fire. Oh yeah, red hair. That was funny.

"Hi, I'm Deidara," the boy greets. He brushes his blonde hair out of his face, revealing his blue eyes. He smiles widely.

"Sasori," I say bluntly. I look down at his lap, seeing that what he was focused on is a sketchbook. "What's that?"

"Oh, my newest drawing," Deidara says. He hands me the book, and I see a beautiful nature setting composed of a waterfall, running horses, and trees swaying in the wind.

"This is incredible..." I mutter. "How long have you been working on this?"

"I started last night—"

"Last night?" I say in disbelief. "I couldn't draw this in two years, much less a day."

Deidara chuckles, taking his sketchbook back. "It isn't finished yet. I haven't put in any of the trees, and I still need to color it..."

"Can I see it when you're done?" I ask.

"Sure, no problem," he replies. I smile, excited that I found someone I like so quickly. Deidara seems cool. "So where are you from?"

"Boston," I reply. "I moved here after my grandma died."

"You lived with your grandma?" he asks. "So, I guess you moved in with your parents then."

"No, not quite."

"Just one of them?" he asks. I sigh, knowing that he isn't gonna let this go. "Your parents split up?"

"My parents died in a car crash five years ago," I blurt out. "I live alone."

Deidara's hair falls in his face again, but he doesn't brush it away. He watches me, eyes brimming with pity. I hate that look. There's only two looks I ever get in life: pity and hatred. Sometimes I don't know which is worse.

"I'm...sorry to hear that," Deidara mutters awkwardly. He directs his attention out the window, now dotted with tiny raindrops. I can tell he actually cares, which is comforting. Most people just watch and say nothing. Deidara's different somehow.

"You live with your parents?" I ask.

"Just my mom," he says. He doesn't mention his dad, which I leave alone. I know how hard it was to talk about my parents, it must be the same for him. I leave it be.

I turn around, scanning faces throughout the bus. One guy has bright orange hair and facial piercings, his eyes closed as he listens to his iPod. One boy with dark blue hair is eating a doughnut. A girl with a white flower in her hair is giggling as she talks to a gothic-looking boy with coal black hair. Another with long, spiky black hair is throwing wads of paper at a boy with silver hair.

"Who's the guy that's throwing stuff?" I ask Deidara. Deidara looks over the seat, but quickly turns away.

"That's Madara Uchiha. Don't look, just avoid eye contact."

I don't look away. The silver-haired boy's face is turning red with anger, I can tell he's about to burst. Madara looks my direction, but even then I don't look away. The two of us lock eyes, and somehow I feel an instant hatred brew between us. The boy lets an evil smile cross his face before looking away.

"He seems like a real charmer," I joke. Deidara laughs quite loudly.

The two of us make small talk for the rest of the bus ride. When we finally pull up to Konoha High School, I shudder (which makes my left leg rattle). I hope this doesn't turn out like Oto High did.

"Welcome to Konoha High, Sasori," Deidara says. He slides his sketchbook into his bag, and I throw my bag over my shoulder. A boy behind me screeches as it hits him, making me apologize as I turn around. Then the bag hits someone else.

"Watch it, new kid!" a boy snaps. He hits the side of my bag with his own, making a loud rattle sound. Dammit, they're already suspicious.

"You really need some new golf clubs, Sasori," Deidara laughs. The others turn away, suspicions apparently erased. I let a breath out, relieved. I'll have to thank Deidara later.

The two of us shuffle off the bus, standing in front of the rather large small school. Oto was twice as big as this place, so hopefully I won't get lost like I did there. That was almost as embarrassing as when Kankuro took my arm. Almost.

"Let's go, Sasori, I'll introduce you to my friends," Deidara says, grabbing me by my wrist (my real one, thankfully). He leads me through the empty hallways, to a small area with an old bench. The bench has some kind of cushion on it, but it shoots up dust when Deidara flops onto it. I cough, brushing the dust away from my face.

"How...luxurious..." I mumble. Deidara laughs, inviting me to sit down. I do so, but gently as to avoid another sandstorm.

A few others walk through this hallway, but none sit on the bench. In fact, they give the bench a rather odd distance.

Eventually, some others sit down on the bench with us. The guy with the orange hair, the guy with the doughnut, flower girl, and the goth sit down. A few minutes later, the silver haired boy and one with long brown hair sit down as well. The bench is practically teeming with teenagers.

"Who's he?" orange asks.

"This is Sasori," Deidara introduces. "He sat with me on the bus today. He seems cool, so I wanted you guys to meet him."

"Mhm..." he mutters. "I'm Pain."

"Konan," flower girl greets. She smiles cutely, brushing her blue hair over one ear.

The silver haired boy looks over to me, a cross dangling of a necklace. "Hidan."

"Kakuzu," the long-haired one says.

"Itachi," the goth greets. He offers a small nod.

"And I'm Kisame," doughnut boy concludes.

"Sasori," I say shyly.

"So, what's wrong with you?" Pain asks.

"I—" I stutter. "There's nothing wrong with me, what do you mean?"

"People who hang out with us usually have some kind of problem," Itachi interjects. "We're all 'weirdos' to other people here."

"For example..." Konan starts. "Art obsessed, math whiz, excessive piercings, emo, Jesus-freak, pointy teeth, and I'm _obsessed _with origami."

"So what's up with you?" Kisame asks innocently. He sits on the floor in front of me, Indian-style. "You actually a girl or somethin?"

"Wha—no!" I whine. "There's nothing wrong with me. I just thought Deidara seemed cool, so I sat with him."

"So, do you think we're weird?" Hidan asks glumly.

"Yeah, I do," I admit. They all slump down in embarrassment. "But...I like weird."

They all smile, and Konan and Kisame start bombarding me with questions. They ask where I'm from, what I like to do for fun, and so on. Just as Konan was about to ask about my parents, the bell rings to go to class.

"So, what's your first class?" Deidara asks.

I slip my schedule out of my pocket. "Algebra. You?"

"Gym, but Kakuzu has Algebra right now," Deidara says. "You can follow him."

I slide my 'golf clubs' into my locker (which is right across from Deidara's, how lucky is that?) and follow Kakuzu to Algebra.

"Don't worry about Algebra, Kakashi is the easiest teacher ever," Kakuzu comforts. "He just sits behind his desk all day and reads smutty novels."

I take a seat next to Kakuzu as the rest of the class files in. A man with spiky white hair and a mask sits with his feet on his desk, his face buried in a book with a giant heart on the cover. Kakashi, I assume.

"Worksheets are on the desk, go ahead and get started," Kakashi mumbles. Kakuzu walks up and grabs two worksheets, and sets one of them on my desk as he sits at his.

"You know how to do logarithms?" he asks.

"Yeah, we already did this section at my old school," I laugh. Kakuzu laughs too, and begins work on his worksheet. I'm done with mine in about fifteen minutes, but when I look over at Kakuzu I see that he's been done for a while.

"Oh, so you're the 'math whiz' in the group," I joke. Kakuzu laughs too.

"Yeah, my dad pushes me to study math like crazy. He wants me to be an accountant or something, I don't know," he shrugs. Suddenly, a hand is slapped on his desk loudly. Spiky black hair droops onto Kakuzu's paper.

"I'll take that," Madara says. He swipes Kakuzu's paper away, immediately starting to copy answers onto his own paper.

"Hey, that's his," I snap. Madara looks at me with disbelief, amazed that someone talked to him like that. A few other students are watching me as well.

"What did you say to me, new kid?" he says. Madara stands up, trying to intimidate me. I stand as well, noticing that he's a full six inches taller than me. Crap.

"I said, that's his," I say. "Give it back to him."

Madara laughs, returning to his seat. "Okay, I'll admit you've got balls. You get a free pass on this little, _infraction_, but next time it's a beating. Got it?" Madara returns Kakuzu's paper to his desk and walks away.

"Oh my God," Kakuzu mutters. "I can't believe he didn't punch you."

"We're in the middle of class, even that blockhead wouldn't be dumb enough to punch me," I joke.

The rest of the class is boring since both Kakuzu and I finished so quickly, so we talk about the others in their little group. Most of it's normal, but there was one little speck of advice Kakuzu offers.

"Oh, and don't mess with Itachi's brother," Kakuzu says. "His name is Sasuke, he's a Freshman. They're _really _close, and Itachi's super-protective of him. Itachi will literally try to kill you if you do."

"You don't actually mean literally," I joke.

"When we were in 8th grade, Itachi stabbed someone in the stomach with a pen when they pushed Sasuke down," Kakuzu explains. "Don't. Mess. With Sasuke."

I nod, desperate to get off the topic. When the bell finally rings, I check my schedule to see my next class: Art. God, I hope Deidara's in there.

When I step into the class, I see that it must be the most unorthodox classroom in Tokyo. Instead of desks, there are easels with chairs in front of them strewn randomly about the room. Deidara is standing in the back, paint pallet in one hand and a brush in the other. He's already at work, it seems.

"Hey, Sasori!" he yells. He waves his brush in the air, splattering a dot of red paint on the easel beside him. I sit down at that easel, happy that I have a class with him.

"Hey Deidara."

"I heard about your little episode with Madara," he says. "You got lucky."

"How did you hear about that already?"

"News travels ridiculously fast in this school," he explains. "Last year, one of the senior girls got pregnant. It took two hours for the whole school to hear about it."

I laugh, looking back to the door. I see Hidan walk in, smiling faintly as he sits down at the easel beside me.

"Hey Deidara, hey Sasori," he greets. I wave half-heartedly, not sure what to think of him. I can't decide what kind of personality he has...is it depressed? Or his he happy but just having a bad day?

"Hidan, you hear about—" Deidara starts.

"Sasori and Madara almost fighting? Half the school knows about that."

"See what I mean?" Deidara laughs.

"It wasn't a big deal," I blush. Hidan leans against his easel.

"Not a big deal? He's that classic bully that you see in crappy movies. Head of the football team, that kind of thing. And he's _huge_. He could beat up anyone in this school, except maybe Pain."

The three of us laugh as the teacher walks in. Her black hair hangs down her back, her red eyes squinted as she puts on a fake smile.

"Hello class, I'd like you to meet our newest student, Sasori," she introduces. She gestures for me to stand up, which I was going to refuse before Deidara practically pulled me out of my chair. The class laughs as I wave sheepishly. I punch Deidara in the arm playfully as I sit back down. He rubs his arm in pain. I curse under my breath: I punched him with my wooden arm.

"Okay, now get to work on your paintings. Paint whatever you like!" she squeals. She sits down behind her desk, busying herself on something.

"What are you gonna paint, Sasori?" Deidara asks.

"Dunno," I admit. "Never actually painted before."

"Never?" he asks. "Painting is the funnest thing ever!"

I chuckle as I dip my brush in the black paint. I start drawing the outlines of clouds all across the paper. Not really artistic and creative, but it's something. Once I've drawn like twenty clouds, I start painting the rest of the canvas black. White clouds against a black setting: actually kind of cool looking.

"You going for abstract?" Deidara asks. I shake my head.

"Just drawing clouds."

"That's boring," Deidara blurts out. "Color them in with something weird. Purple, or red or something."

I take his advice, dipping my brush in the red paint. I try to color in the first cloud, but mess up and leave it with a white outline. Embracing the idea, I move onto the next cloud and leave it with a white outline as well. After ten minutes, it actually looks pretty cool.

"Very good, Sasori," the teacher greets. "Looks like we have another artist in the class!"

Deidara and I look at each other, trying not to laugh. I am _far _from an artist.

As the bell rings and everyone packs up their things, the teacher leaves us with one final announcement. "You can pick up your paintings at the end of the day!"

"What's next?" I ask Deidara.

"Lunch," he says. Deidara and I walk to our lockers, where the rest of the gang is already waiting for us. They all have paper bags in their hands, and Deidara gets one of his own from his locker.

"No food?" Hidan asks. "Don't worry, you can share with me. The food here _sucks_."

I laugh as we walk back to the bench. While the others dig in, Hidan prays before he even opens his bag.

"If you're gonna eat my food, you have to pray with me," Hidan teases. I don't smile. Religion is a joke in my mind.

"I'm not much of a believer."

Pain sighs. "Oh, here we go..."

"How can you not believe in God? God is the creator of our universe, the—"

"I stopped believing in God when he took my parents away," I snap. I stand up, not feeling the least bit hungry. I leave the group behind, desperate to find anyone else to hang out with. I roam the halls, but only find the last person I wanted to see—Madara.

"Well, look who it is," Madara says, leaning against his locker. "I've got to say, I was pretty surprised when you got all mad this morning."

Why does he sound happy about this? I mean, how does his mind work? "What about it?"

"Listen, Sasori, I saw you hanging out with those losers earlier," Madara says. "I'm willing to forget this morning _if _you want to hang out with me and my friends. Don't hang out with the losers, or you'll be branded a loser. Get it?"

I avert my glance. What the hell do I say now? My little outburst aside, I've really liked hanging out with Deidara and the others. But I don't want to be picked on by everyone, not again. Hanging out with Madara could do that.

"I don't know, Madara," I sigh.

"Alright, alright, no need to get so stressed out," Madara says, patting my shoulder. "The offer stands whenever you want to hang out with us. Later." Madara walks away towards the cafeteria.

Well that was weird. I walk into the cafeteria, taking a tray and sitting down at the far edge of the room. No other students are around me, so I'm left alone with my thoughts. I pick at my food a little, but never really eat. It's been a weird day, I'm not really hungry.

When the bell finally rings, I dump my tray and check my schedule. I curse out loud as I read what my third class is: gym. Locker rooms. I hadn't even thought about it until now, but everyone is going to see the prosthetics. My hoodie has done good hiding them so far, but how will I hide it when I have to take my shirt off completely?

I guess hiding it really was never an option, so I hang my head as I grab my golf bag out of my locker. I sling it over my shoulder, walking off towards the gym. I see Hidan in the crowded hallway, but he doesn't look at me. His eyes are filled with shame.

I step into the gym, which is one gigantic basketball court. The two hoops are hanging from the ceiling, and the bleachers are on the far side. I walk across the gym, looking from face to face to see if anyone I know is in here. I see four familiar faces: Pain, Konan, Deidara, and Madara.

"Hey Sasori," Pain greets. Konan has her arm looped through Pain's signaling that they're a couple. Kisame stands beside Pain, arms crossed. "Sorry about Hidan. He can be such a prick about his religion sometimes. But I hope you know he didn't mean anything bad by it, and he certainly didn't know about your parents. None of us did."

"I know, it's fine," I mumble. Deidara sighs, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

"Seriously you guys, stop being so gloomy," he says. "We're in gym, the easiest class in the world! Just relax." Pain smiles, gesturing for me to follow him to the locker room. I gulp as the three of us step inside.

The second I enter the locker room, a wall of stink punches me in the face. I cover my nose with one hand, trying my best to keep out the smell. God, it's just awful.

"You get used to it after a while," Deidara laughs. "It's horrible, I know."

I breathe through my mouth as I follow Pain over to a bench where some other people are changing. Kisame has already changed his shirt and is now putting on his basketball shorts, and Pain is now removing his shirt. I don't budge.

"You can't take gym in those clothes, you'll get all sweaty," Pain says. "Don't have any gym clothes? I have an extra pair, I think they'll fit for today."

Pain digs through his bag, flinging me a plain green shirt and black shorts, He nods as he slips his purple shirt over his head and walks out the door. I sit on the bench, still not changing my clothes. If I can just wait for everyone to leave, I'll be in the clear.

"Anko's about to start class, let's go Sasori," Deidara teases. He grabs the hood of my sweatshirt, and starts trying to tug it over my head. He grabs my sleeve, and tries his hardest to pull my sweatshirt straight off. He's laughing wildly now, but I'm cursing loudly, trying to get him to stop.

"Deidara, you're gonna—"

SNAP! The joint that connects the prosthetic to my left shoulder snaps out of place, sending a shockwave of horrible pain through my body. If you don't take it out the proper way, it hits nerves and it hurts like a bitch. I drop to the ground in agony, tears brimming in my eyes. Deidara's eyes are wide with horror.

"Oh my God, I broke your arm!" he cries. "I'm so sorry, let me see!"

"No, stop!" I plead. I try to stop Deidara from taking off my sweatshirt, but I can't move my left arm anymore. It's been totally unattached, the only reason it hasn't slid out of my sleeve is that it was a tight fit to start with.

When Deidara gets the sweatshirt off, my left arm finally tumbles to the ground. Deidara squeals in horror, jumping back. He looks at me, disembodied, as I'm panting in pain. My shoulder is still on fire with agony.

"Your arm is—fake?" he asks. "Oh God, that's why you weren't—I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, just...don't tell anybody," I order. Deidara nods, bending down to pick up my arm. He hands it to me awkwardly, which I reattach gently.

"Why were you trying to hide it?" Deidara asks.

I sigh, cringing as the memories come back to me. "At my old school, people made fun of me all the time. They would take them, hide them, sometimes even break them. They laughed while I walked around with one arm, or stumbled because they took one of my feet."

I pull up my pants legs to show him that both of my legs are also prosthetic. I tell Deidara that in the car crash that killed my parents, I lost my left arm up to my shoulder and both of my legs up to my thighs.

"They look real, until you get to the joints," I sigh. "There's no hiding them in shorts and a T-shirt."

"Well, then—" Deidara starts. "You really can't hide them then. But hey, if you get picked on, I'll have Kisame kick their ass. Okay?"

I let a small smile out. I slide my shirt over my head, replacing it with the green one Pain gave me. Deidara leaves to talk to Pain, and I change into my shorts. I switch out my legs for my special running legs, and stand up. My running legs always feel so awkward. There's extra springs in them so they don't bust under the momentum, so I walk kind of funny if I'm not running. Oh well, they'll see joints of my fake limbs. I don't think they'll freak out over me walking weird.

"Sasori, gym is starting," Pain calls. "You ready?"

I walk up to the door, standing in the shadows. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Pain leans in close to me. "Deidara told me about what's going on, don't worry about it." Pain throws an arm around my shoulder, smiling as we step out of the locker room together.

As we step onto the gym floor, Konan's eyes are glued on us. She looks me over, eyes wide as she sees the prosthetics for what they are. Nobody else pays us a second glance.

"See? Nobody even notices them," Pain comforts. I lean against the wall, heart pounding. God, I don't want them to see.

"Sasori, you—" Konan starts. "Holy crap."

"Yeah, I know," I mutter. I stare at the ground, blushing furiously. What will people say?

"Okay everyone, line up for stretches," the gym teacher yells. She blows on her whistle, and everyone lines up around the edges of the basketball court. "Touch your toes!"

I struggle not to laugh as I touch my toes with no problem. I don't exactly have muscles in my legs to stretch. As I touch my toes with the tips of my fingers, my left leg squeaks loudly.

Great. So much for people not noticing.

Everyone has their eyes locked on my legs. Every joint, every screw is the object of their attention. They stare, making no attempt to hide it. They don't even know how to react.

"Holy crap, he's a cripple," Madara blurts out. The whole class erupts with laughter at Madara's comment. I tug on the sleeve of my shirt, trying to hide the joints as much as I can. Deidara, standing beside me, watches with pity in his eyes. God, I am so sick of that look.

"Stop looking at me," I say, backing away from everyone. Their eyes follow me closely My shoulders are shaking as tears threaten to pour out of me. "Stop staring."

"That's enough, Sasori," the teacher orders. "Back to your spot."

Their eyes are glued to me, never looking away. No matter where I go, their eyes will follow me. "Stop staring," I plead. A single tear streams down my cheek, dripping off my chin. "Stop it. Please..."


	2. Chapter 2

I burst through the locker room doors, slamming it behind me as I curl into a ball and begin to cry. Dammit, I knew this was going to happen. First day of school and I've already been laughed at.

"Sasori?" Pain calls. "You in here?"

I silence my sobs, hoping that he won't come in. Sadly it was useless, because he walks right in and sits down next to me.

"Go away, Pain."

"What are you so upset about?" Pain asks. "We all knew Madara was a douche, it isn't that surprising."

"I'm upset because I know that this will be just like my old school. People laughing, taking my limbs, throwing stuff at me."

"That...happened at your old school?" Pain asks. "Oh my God, no wonder you're upset." I punch Pain in the arm, making him seethe. Okay, I admit, prosthetic arms are useful_ sometimes_.

"You aren't helping."

"Look, I'll talk to the teacher to see if you can be excused from class today," Pain comforts. "Okay?"

I nod, letting the tiniest of smiles escape me. I'm glad to have at least met Pain and Deidara today. They've taken me in like we'd been friends since birth, even though it hasn't been a day. Some people are just born awesome, I guess.

Pain comes back in and says I can stay in here as long as I want. I thank him, and he runs back into the gym for the rest of class. I need something to occupy myself, so I take off my squeaky leg. What is making all that noise?

I fiddle with the joints in my leg, and see that one of the screws in the knee is loose. I can't do anything about it right now, so I'll have to deal with it until I get home. Dammit, now the whole school will hear me while I SQUEAK SQUEAK down the hallways. I detach my other leg as well, just to make sure it won't squeak. Luckily, all of those screws are perfectly tight.

The door to the locker room swings open. I hastily try to attach my legs, but too late. Half the class looks in at me, legs lying on the ground but me on the bench. I must look pretty pathetic.

"Ugh, it's so gross," one of them whispers.

"So freaky..." another whispers.

"More like HE'S freaky..." yet another whispers. The three boys laugh as they go to get dressed.

I hang my head, brushing my red hair out of my eyes. I hate people. Deidara and Pain stand next to me while they get dressed, acting like sort of bodyguards. Pain's a pretty big guy, but Deidara's so skinny. Not really much of a bodyguard.

"Looks like you got another freak in the Akatsuki, huh Pain?" one boy yells.

"The...Akatsuki?" I mumble.

Deidara sighs. "For the art show last year, I painted all of us standing in front of a sunrise. I was really proud of it, but they said it was girly and stupid. Ever since then, they've called our little group the Akatsuki. Some kind of weird joke, I guess."

"The Akatsuki..." I mumble. "I like the sound of that."

Pain and Deidara smile, handing me my normal legs. I attach them quickly, standing once again.

"Hey Sasori, don't you ever wish you were a real boy?" someone yells. I smile. That's the fourth time someone's said that to me. And probably not the last.

"Hey Pain, Deidara, wanna see a magic trick?" I whisper. "I'm gonna make an asshole disappear."

I turn to the boy, who I see is one of Madara's friends. Madara is smiling, but not laughing. I walk up to the boy, who is almost a whole foot taller than me. I'm not afraid of this punk.

"Something interesting about my fake arm is that it's calibrated to match the strength of the average human. But you see, the human body is capable of so much more than what we know. Our strength is limited by pain, and risk of damaging our muscles. I don't have that problem in this arm."

"So?" he asks. "What's your point?"

"Oh, I am just so glad you asked," I tease. "You see, normally I'm not very strong. If I punched you in the face with my _right_ hand..." I punch him in the face, knocking his head aside but not even staggering him. "...it doesn't hurt very bad. Oh, but if I punch you with my LEFT!"

I swing my fake arm towards the boy, slamming the wooden hand into his cheek. A loud CRACK echoes through the room. The boy is flung into the air and into the wall behind him, and the stones on the wall crack at the impact.

"Holy shit!" Deidara cries. "Sasori, that was awesome!"

"Being a 'cripple' does have it's benefits, apparently," I comment. I turn to the others, and the three of us walk out of the locker room with our heads held high. Looks like the Akatsuki has earned some respect.

"Hey Konan," Pain greets. Konan throws her arms around Pain, the two now hugging each other. Deidara shrugs his shoulders and walks towards the water fountain.

"So Sasori, what's your next class?" she asks. I look at my schedule, glad that the day is almost over. Only one class left. "English."

"Cool, so do I!" Konan says. "It'll be me, you, and Kisame."

"Sweet," I say. "Who else is in there?"

"Pretty much the whole basketball team, but they're actually pretty cool," Konan says. "Much cooler than those football assholes..."

"Yeah, speaking of which..." I say. Just as I was about to tell her what happened, Madara walks out of the locker room. He has someone's arm draped over his shoulder, but that body is slump. His limp head falls to one side, revealing his darkly bruised and swollen cheek. Holy crap, that is gonna _hurt_. You know, whenever he wakes up.

"Anko-sensei, I think he needs to go to the nurse," Madara says. Anko looks surprised, examining the boy's face.

"Who did this to him?"

"Nobody, he-uh, tripped and hit his head on the bench," Madara lies. He shoots me a glance that's very clear: you owe me.

"Alright, go ahead and take him to the nurse," Anko orders. She looks to me, and frowns. "Sasori, come here."

"Y-yes, Anko-sensei?"

"About everything that happened at the beginning of class, I hope you aren't embarrassed about your prosthetics. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it isn't your fault."

"I know, I was just hoping nobody would find out," I admit. "I wish people just saw me as, you know. Normal."

"Normal isn't always a good thing," she says. "Normal is boring."

I smile as the bell rings to go to the last class of the day. I rush back to my locker, throwing my running legs inside and grabbing my notebook. I rush back to Konan and follow her to English.

"Just don't tick off Asuma-sensei," Konan advises. "He's scary when he's mad."

I laugh as we enter the classroom. Kisame is sitting on the far side of the class, while a large group of boys is huddled together near the front. Konan appears to be the only girl.

"Hey, it's the new guy," one of the boys says. He jumps out of the crowd, his spiky blonde hair bouncing with each step. For whatever reason, whiskers are on his cheeks. "You're the one with the fake arm, right?"

"Naruto, what the hell?" another asks. This boy has spiked black hair. "Don't be so forward about it!"

"Shikamaru, it's fine," Naruto whines. "I'm just asking." He turns back to me. "So, are you?"

"Y—yeah, that's me..." I mumble.

"Would you be offended if I asked you to prove it?"

"NARUTO!" the rest of the guys yell. He laughs, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm just curious!" he cries. I sigh, pulling up my left sleeve to reveal the joints. He leans down close to them, examining each screw. "That is so freakin' cool."

"How cool can it be?" Shikamaru asks. He walks over to me, examining the joints as well. "Whoa, that's actually pretty intense. These linked to your nervous system?"

"Y-yeah..."

"The insides must be linked carefully to your nerves to give you control of each part of the finger," he mumbles to himself. "That's an ingenius design."

"Thanks?" I say sheepishly. Shikamaru laughs, dropping a hand on my shoulder before he returns to the crowd.

"Shikamaru's some kind of genius," Konan tells me as we walk over to Kisame. "The only reason he hasn't graduated yet is because he's seriously lazy."

"I heard that!" Shikamaru yells. The whole room erupts with laughter, even the teacher. Everyone takes their seats, and the teacher stands. He starts a lecture on proverbs or something, which I mostly tune out. I doodle on my 'notes', drawing each of the members of the Akatsuki. Konan and Pain holding hands. Kisame with a doughnut. Itachi...being Itachi. Hidan praying. Kakuzu holding a calculator. And then me, one of my legs detached and in my hand. I make the finishing touches on each of their faces, and then I get to me. I draw my eyes, and my nose.

And lastly, I draw myself with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, sorry about the delay in uploading this chapter. It took a bit longer than I'd expected, but it's finally here. Enjoy!**

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I lean my head against the back of my couch, resting my neck on the cushion. It's been such a long day, and homework is finally done. Where's Kakuzu when you need him?

It's been a month since I started attending Konoha High school, and it's probably been the best month of my life since my parents died. Everyone in school knows about my prosthetics. Sure, I'm teased about it on occasion. But after I sent that football player to the Emergency Room, people keep their distance. I can't complain.

Hidan and I got over our little argument. He prays to himself, and I keep my distance. He still isn't happy about the whole Atheist thing, but he knows better than to argue about it. And outside of school, we hang out every Friday. And it's Thursday night, one night before Akatsuki Night. And it's finally my turn to pick what we do.

Last week, Deidara took us to an Art Show where they awarded his newest painting 1st Place. It wasn't the most exciting Akatsuki Night we'd had, but we were all really proud of him so we went along with it. Pain's was better. He brought us Ice Skating with him and Konan on their six month anniversary, which was a blast! It was interesting finding Ice Skates to fit my fake legs, but we got some eventually. But I have one that I think will top even that.

Bowling. Bowling with the Akatsuki would be the most entertaining thing I've ever done in my life, and it happens tomorrow night. And I've kept it a surprise, just for them. A thank-you for taking me in as one of their own.

My phone rings, abruptly halting my daydream. I flip it open, pressing it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Deidara."

"What's up?"

"The High School is having the Spring Carnival tonight, you going?"

Crap, I totally forgot about the carnival. Apparently it's this big thing sponsored by the football team, but it makes for a pretty sick party. One that the Akatsuki will most certainly be attending. "Yeah, but I don't have a ride."

"Don't worry, Pain's picking everyone up."

"Pain? Driving?" I laugh. "You do want to live to Senior Year, right?"

Deidara laughs. "He's not as bad as you'd think, trust me. He'll be there in fifteen minutes, be ready!"

He hangs up without another word, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. I walk to my bedroom, unattaching my legs and setting them beside me. My left leg has been messing up ever since I came to Tokyo, so I have to tighten the screws almost every night. It's a hassle, but it still works. I feel like I'll need to replace it soon, but I don't have the money.

Screws finally tightened, I reattach my leg and change my clothes. Black shorts and a plain red shirt. I've stopped trying to hide my joints with jeans and hoodies, stopped being ashamed of my disability. The Akatsuki has done wonders for my self-esteem.

A honk rips me from my thoughts and back to reality. I walk out of my house and onto the street, the wind ripping through my crimson locks. Pain is driving a black van, Konan in the passenger seat. Deidara is waving like a madman in the very back, while Kakuzu and Hidan are in the middle.

I slam the door behind me as I take a seat between Itachi and Deidara. "No Kisame tonight?" I ask.

"No, he's crazy sick," Konan explains. "He ate some bad sushi last night and is now tasting it again."

(Sushi. See what I did there? Lol I'm so dumb)

"Alright, let's get going then," I say. "The Akatsuki can't miss the biggest night of the school year." Pain smiles, stepping on the gas pedal and shooting down the street. At the speed he likes driving at, we're at the carnival in only minutes.

"The Akatsuki came?" someone mumbles as we step out of the van. "What are those losers doing here?"

"We're just here to have a good time," Konan pouts jokingly. We all laugh, approaching the carnival.

"Whoa, they went all out this year!" Hidan exclaims. "This is awesome!"

He's right. There's tons of booths set up all across the football field, a carnival game in each one. Balloon darts, peach baskets, the works. Even a ferris wheel.

"What do you want to do first?" Pain asks.

"Oh, I have an idea..." Hidan says. "Cotton. Candy."

We all laugh, following Hidan to the cotton candy station. When we arrive, we see a familiar face running the booth. The guy I punched in the face.

"Hello, would you like some—" he starts. "Oh, it's _you_."

"Nice to see you, too," I tease. "Didn't recognize you without your eyes rolled into the back of your head."

"Cute, now what do you want? I'm busy," he snaps.

"What else could we want?" Deidara moans. "Four sticks."

"Yeah, whatever," he snaps. He dips a stick into the machine, soon after pulling out a giant wad of pink goodness and handing it to Deidara, who hands him two dollars. He repeats the process three more times, handing cotton candy to Hidan, Konan, and Kakuzu. How kind of him to ignore Pain and I. We all split the bill for the snacks, and walk away from the stand.

"Something tells me that's gonna happen a lot tonight," I tell Deidara.

"What do you mean?"

"The football team is running this thing," Pain says, plopping a handful of cotton candy into Konan's mouth playfully. "We're not exactly pals. And we most certainly won't be getting the royal treatment."

"Is the basketball team helping at all?" Deidara asks, digging his face into the snack.

"Nope, it's all football."

"Great," I mumble. I pick at Deidara's cotton candy with my left hand, plopping it into my mouth. I reach to grab another bite, but my fingers stick. "Dammit, my fingers are stuck together," I moan. "I gotta go to the bathroom, clean the joints. I'll call you when I'm done."

I break off from the group, headed towards the high school. The school is opened for the bathroom, but some people are hanging out in the hallways anyway. I shuffle past them all and get in the bathroom, already unhooking my arm. I set it on the counter beside the sink, pumping out a paper towel and running it under water. I scrub the joints of my left hand, trying to get out all the sticky stuff. It's being surprisingly difficult, sadly, so I walk across the bathroom to get more paper towels. When I start to grab them, I hear muffled laughs from across the room. I turn just in time to see someone running off with my arm.

"Hey, give that back!" I yell. I run out of the bathroom as fast as I can, bursting out into the hallway. I look across the groups of people, but everyone is standing still. I see Naruto and Shikamaru standing in a group.

"Guys, did someone just run through here?" I ask.

"Yeah, Madara just ran through here a second ago. Where's your—?" Naruto starts. I don't let him finish as I run down the hallway, left leg already squeaking. These legs weren't constructed for running, I'd better catch Madara quick or they'll give out right under me.

"Madara!" I yell, bursting outside and running after him. His spiky black hair gives him away as he rushes across the field, my arm clenched in his hand. I push people out of my way with my good arm, probably turning a few heads. I shuffle through the crowd, following Madara through the carnival. My hair is dripping with sweat now, fighting the pain caused by pushing these legs too far.

"Sasori, what are you—" Deidara calls. I run past him, no time to explain. If I stop now, I won't have the willpower to start running again.

Madara is near the edge of the forest now, and I don't stop. I'm only ten feet away from him now when he dives into the forest.

"Madara, don't move!" I yell. Something in my right leg buckles, sending me tumbling to the ground. Madara simply laughs.

"Heroic, don't you think?" he teases. "You know, you really are a piece of work, Sasori. You punch my best friend, send him to the hospital. And I don't rat you out!"

"And I appreciate that, but that has nothing to do with you stealing my arm!"

"You come into _my _carnival, bringing your loser friends with you, and have the audacity to make fun of my friend while he makes your stupid food?" he yells.

"I don't care what you—" I start. Pain burns through my left thigh, signaling that there's something seriously wrong with my leg. "Just give me my arm back!"

"I am going to offer you a choice, Sasori," Madara says. A few other football players step out from behind trees, laughing. "Leave the Akatsuki and join the football team, and we'll let you keep your limbs. We could use this arm of yours."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then me and my friends will have the pleasure of beating the crap out of you and running away with your arm and legs," he offers. "Your choice."

I'm in no condition to fight the whole football team without my arm, so what the hell do I do? I've been beat up more than a few times in my life, but you never get used to it. Joining the football team is a surefire way to make sure I'm not picked on anymore.

But what about the Akatsuki? They took me in like family, didn't care that half of my body is totally fake. Deidara and Pain are like brothers to me. I can't betray them. Besides, even if I accepted his offer, I would never really be welcome on the team.

Madara leans in close to me, whispering. "So what's it gonna be?"

I spit in his face. "Go fuck yourself."

He wipes off my spit, flicking it onto the ground. "So be it." He punches me in the face, sending a shockwave of pain across my right cheek. The other football players descend, trying to detach my legs. It hurts so bad I can't even scream, my words stuck in my throat. When they finally have them detached, they laugh and start stomping on my back. They take turns, like having a contest to see who can cause me the most pain. I don't scream, I won't give them that satisfaction. I clamp my mouth shut and take it.

Then I remember Oto. Back when Kankuro and his friends did the same thing to me.

_Okay, take his arm! _Kankuro had yelled. He laughed as his friends ripped my arm out of its socket, tears streaming down my face as I cried for them to stop. But they didn't stop. In fact, the more I cried the harder they seemed to hit me. Like they got some kind of weird thrill out of my screams.

"Get off him!" someone yells. Deidara slams himself into a football player, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Just as another was about to hit Deidara, Hidan shows up with a tree branch and slams it across his face. Madara grabs Hidan by his shoulders, slamming him into a tree. Then Pain shows up, kicking Madara straight in the nose and sending him to the ground.

"Pain, since when can you do that?" Itachi yells.

"Twelve years of martial arts!" Pain yells. He jumps into the air, doing a full 360 and slamming his heel into a football player's neck. A dozen people run out from around us, jumping on football players and fighting them. I see Konan slam her elbow into someone's face, Deidara getting punched, and I think I even see Naruto on someone's back.

My vision is blurring from the pain, but I think I see someone wading through the fights and towards me. He's holding something, I just can't tell what.

"Sasori, here you go," he whispers. I shake my head, trying to clear my vision. Somehow it works, and I see Shikamaru kneeling in front of me. Lying at his feet is my arm and right leg. "I couldn't find your other leg in the chaos, sorry."

"That leg's crap anyway, thank you!" I say. I grab the arm, jamming it quickly into place. It stings like crazy, but I don't have time to focus on that. My back is probably so bruised it's ridiculous. I attach my leg, having Shikamaru help me stand. I throw my right arm over his shoulder as he escorts me away from the chaos.

A rock makes for a seat that Shikamaru sets me on. "Thank you so much, Shikamaru,"

"I would say no problem, but it kind of has been," he jokes. "I've got to get back there and get everyone away. Some of the basketball team is 18, they could get busted."

"Go ahead, and thanks again," I say. "I'll make this up to you somehow."

Shikamaru nods before running off to the fight. I struggle to my feet (or...foot, whatever), and start hopping back towards the carnival. This is really tiring, though, so I have to stop and rest every ten hops or so. Just as I'm almost there, I almost faint at the sight. Red and blue flashing police lights, squad cars parked in the middle of the carnival. Police officers are swarming out of their cars and towards the forest.

Two officers are running straight towards me, so I duck behind a tree to hide myself. They run past me, yelling something about the fight between them. I curl up behind a rock to hide until they pass me. Once they're out of sight, I struggle to my foot and hop out of the forest. As soon as I'm out, a hand lands on my shoulder.

"Sasori, I'm not done with you," Madara yells. I spin around, screaming as I swing my left arm right at Madara's head. My fist connects with his right eye, instantly spraying my fist with blood and blowing Madara off his feet. The momentum from my punch drags me forward, and I topple on top of Madara. He pushes me off him, and we both lie in the grass, unable to move. Me because I only have one leg, Madara because he's to busy screaming and cussing about his eye.

A flashlight shines in my eyes, and I hear the police officer screaming not to move. He flips me on my stomach, slapping handcuffs around my wrist. I struggle against my handcuffs, momentarily forgetting that I'm ridiculously strong in my left hand and snap one of the cuffs. Something hits me _hard _on the back of my head, sending me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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**And...he's arrested. Fantastic, isn't it? xP Thanks so much for reading! Make sure to leave a review and check back often for the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, I can't say I ever saw myself in this position," Hidan moans.

I couldn't agree more. Not once have I ever imagined I would be handcuffed to a bench at the police station. The funny part is that these idiots chained my prosthetic arm to it.

"How mad do you think they'd be if I unattached my arm and ran out of here?" I joke. Any other day, and all of us would have busted out laughing. But not today. Even Itachi seems sadder than usual.

The police station got me a crutch to use until I can order my new leg. I laid it across mine and Hidan's lap, since putting it anywhere else would really make it too difficult to get up.

"You guys notice who isn't here?" Konan asks, tugging at her handcuffs in frustration.

"Madara..." Pain growls. "Somehow I knew that snake would get out of this."

"How could he get out of getting arrested?" I ask.

"You didn't know?" Deidara asks. "Madara's dad is the Chief of Police."

"You've got to be shitting me. So he's not gonna get in trouble at all?"

"Oh, I'm sure his dad will be all over him at home," Pain says. "But trouble with the law? No way."

"While the people without connections are left to suffer at the hands of the police..." Itachi mumbles.

Kakuzu smiles. "I wouldn't say we don't have _any _connections."

A tall man with long brown hair walks into the station. I gasp, because if this guy were twenty years younger I swear he'd be the spitting image of Kakuzu.

"Your dad?" Konan asks. "Thank God, we're saved!"

"What, is he the mayor or something?" I ask.

"No, nothing like that," Kakuzu says. "He's the best heart surgeon in Tokyo."

(lol...see what I did there?)

"So...how can he help us, exactly?"

"Kakuzu's family is kind of..." Hidan starts. "Filthy freaking rich."

"We are not filthy freaking rich..." Kakuzu moans. "We're just, you know..."

"You've all been bailed out," a woman calls from the front desk.

"You were saying?" Konan asks.

"Shut up..." Kakuzu says, blushing. A man unlocks our restraints and escorts us to the front of the police station. There, everyone's parents are waiting for them. Everyone's but mine, that is.

"Sasori, do you need a ride home?" Deidara offers.

"Actually, that'd be—"

"He won't be needing a ride," someone interjects. A tall man with his brown hair in a high ponytail enters the station, wearing a suit and holding a briefcase.

Iruka, my social worker.

"Hey, Iruka..." I mutter.

"Come with me, Sasori," he orders. I wave to Deidara half-heartedly as Iruka escorts me from the station.

"You know why I'm here, Sasori," he says coldly.

"Duh, I got arrested..."

"Sasori, you know it's not good if you get in trouble," Iruka says. "Not only is it a _lot _of paperwork for me, but it's also possible that you'll be forced into a foster home."

I turn my head away from him. "I'd rather die."

Iruka sighs, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Look, I've known you for a long time, Sasori. The state has been more than generous, allowing you to live on your own at such a young age. Quite honestly, you probably _should _be in a foster home. You've been lucky so far, but getting arrested—"

"It wasn't even my fault!" I defend.

Iruka pauses, looking me over. "Alright then. Tell me _exactly _what happened."

I recount every detail of my time at the carnival to Iruka. From Madara running off with my arm to Shikamaru (who I left nameless) giving me my arm and leg. I said the only time I actually did any fighting is when I punched Madara, which I do not or never will regret.

Iruka sighs, shifting his weight uneasily. He lights a cigarette, taking between his lips. "Look, Sasori, I get what you're saying. None of it was your fault. But that one punch may be what ruins my case."

"What's the big deal about one punch?"

"Did you notice Madara wasn't in the police station?" Iruka asks.

"Yeah, but I figured that was because his Dad was the Chief of Police," I admit.

"He's in the Hospital. You messed up his eye pretty bad," he explains. "He's not gonna get out for another three days."

I choke on my words. I try to defend myself, but simply can't, even to Iruka. I sent him to the hospital?

"I'll try my best, Sasori, but I can't make any promises," Iruka admits. "Come on, let me take you home."

The car ride back to my house is completely silent. The tension was too thick for me to even look at Iruka. His eyes are filled with what looks like disgust.

"Thank you, Iruka," I force out as we pull into my house.

"It's my job, Sasori," he says. "Look, I can't help you forever. One of these days you're gonna push it too far. A foster home isn't out of the question."

With that, I slam the door shut. Iruka calls out something through his window, but I ignore every word. I slam my door behind me, my blood boiling. I feel like punching something _so _hard right now.

More than anything, I want to punch Madara.


End file.
